Isoko youths flay alleged lopsided appointments at NNPC

The Isoko National Youth Assembly has condemned what it considered as lopsided appointments at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

A statement by the President of the assembly, Mr. Umuakpo Ovie urged the Federal Government to reverse the appointments, adding that they were skewed to favour a particular section and also negated the federal character concept in the country

Ovie said it was a dangerous signal to the Isoko people and the Niger Delta region at large, which have been agitating for an equitable distribution of resources.

The statement reads: “One would have expected President Muhammadu Buhari to match his words with action when he said the unity of the country was not negotiable. Is the president fulfilling his campaign promise by giving 99 per cent of our collective resources to a region and one per cent to other components of the country?”

The assembly condemned a situation where 67 per cent of the country’s resources are channeled to one region that contributes nothing to the revenue earnings from oil and gas, while giving a mere 13 per cent to the entire south-south.

While urging the president to be mindful of other regions in making appointments, Ovie warned against taking the patience of the Isoko nation for cowardice.

Meanwhile, the Association for the Poor and Victims of Society (APVS) has called on the National Assembly to constitute a joint committee to discuss the country’s restructuring.

The group’s national coordinator, Mr. Adagbeni Isaac said the committee should be made to hold a nationwide consultation with all the ethnic nationalities, professional groups and civil society organisations.